BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Top Photo: This is a file photo from when Beasley was honored by the City of Millbrook for his service during WWII. From left is Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley, Sandra Beasley Burdell and Diane Beasley Ladet (daughters). Seated is Eugene Beasley. (Photo by Sarah Stephens)
The family of WWII Veteran Eugene Thomas Beasley has shared he passed away Aug 1 at the age of 98.
Beasley was honored twice last year for his military service. In November he was recognized by the Hampden Sidney Lodge #67 of Millbrook, and in December by the City of Millbrook.
We will update this article with funeral arrangements when they are available.
The EAN sends our heartfelt condolences to Beasley’s family.
The following information was provided by Dr. Martha Poole Simmons who has worked with many area veterans to record their history and memories.
Eugene Thomas Beasley is a WWII veteran who served as a signal man in the U. S. Navy aboard the USS North Carolina (BB-55) in the Pacific Theater. On September 15, 1942, he received severe injuries to both eyes when a Japanese torpedo struck the ship causing blindness in one eye. Beasley volunteered for military service and served three years, four months and 21 days from June 17, 1941, until December 4, 1944, when he was honorably discharged because of his injuries.
Beasley was born June 7, 1924, in Montgomery, AL, to his parents, Thomas and Nora Bell Beasley, He was reared in Walker and Montgomery Counites, AL, and during his teenage years, he worked in various jobs as a newspaper carrier and as a dishwasher at wholesale companies and at the Jeff Davis Hotel in Montgomery.
Volunteering for military service, Beasley completed Basic Training at Norfolk, VA, and was among the first crew assigned to serve on the USS North Carolina which was the first fast battleship of its kind having been commissioned April 9, 1941. It carried a crew of 2,379 including 444 commissioned officers, 100 U. S. Marines, and other enlisted crew members. The ship with a speed of 28 knots measured 728 ft. nine inches carrying armaments, 9 x 16 in. (406 mm)/45 caliber Mark 6 guns, 20 x 5 in. (127 mm) 38 caliber dual purpose guns, 16 x 1.1 in. (28 mm) anti-aircraft guns and 18 x .50 caliber machine guns.
Beasley sailed through the Panama Canal to the Pacific where the North Carolina was used to strengthen the Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He took part in the in Battle of the Eastern Solomons near Papua New Guinea in the Coral Sea where the ship screened aircraft carriers and shot down several Japanese aircraft.
The ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine but was not seriously damaged apart from the shock of the blast that disabled the forward turret. Five sailors lost their lives along with many injuries including Beasley. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs returning to the campaign to screen carriers across the central Pacific. Beasley was hospitalized for treatment to his eye injuries at Honolulu and on the mainland and was discharged at the rank of Seaman Petty Officer 2nd Class.
Returning to Montgomery, AL, after discharge, Beasley worked in maintenance for the Hollywood Candy Co., the Sunday Dinner Co., the William and Allen Refrigeration Co. and lastly the Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Field Exchanges for 18 years retiring in 1986. He then assisted his wife, Vivian, in operating a day-care for children in their house in Millbrook, AL.
He was a member of the VFW for many years. Beasley reflected upon his WWII military service saying, “I feel like I did my duty. I was young, and I enjoyed it.”
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